Paul Smith Discography (as a leader)

I've long been a fan of pianist Paul Smith, whose fiery keyboard technique absolutely dazzled me as a teen. I was lucky; I grew up in and around Palos Verdes, in Southern California, where Smith made his home and frequently performed, in clubs and restaurants within a fairly tight radius. I didn't catch up to him until the early 1970s, and therefore never saw him at The Hunting Horn (where he recorded one album, as you'll note below), but I did see him several times at The Velvet Turtle, when our family went there for an occasional dinner out. As the 1970s gave way to the '80s, I moved to Northern California and got married; my wife and I traveled back to Southern California on business once a year, and we always made a point of catching Smith if he were performing. I well remember one memorable evening at a restaurant in Long Beach; Smith and bassist Ray Brown were set up in the tiny bar area, in a corner with perhaps half a dozen small circular tables facing them. All were empty except ours, and we sat perhaps eight feet away from them. We literally had a private concert for close to two hours. If Smith and Brown were disappointed by the woeful turnout, they didn't show it; they played masterfully the entire time, graciously accepting a few requests. Mostly, though, I let them play whatever they desired... which, obviously, was good enough. It was a magical, magical evening.

I was heartbroken when Smith died on June 30 (2013), although—at 91 years young—he certainly enjoyed a good, long career. He also performed almost to the last moment, although he had ceased to record roughly a decade earlier.

Given where he lived, I wasn't surprised to discover that one of the best obituary tributes was published in The Los Angeles Times. I was surprised, however, to find very little else. Granted, Smith flew under the radar, having achieved fame more for his work as an accompanist — most notably an 11-year run for Ella Fitzgerald — than as a leader of his own combos. From the late 1960s onward, he never toured with any of his own groups, and he wasn't signed to a major record label. That said, he recorded a respectable number of albums as a leader of various combos, from the early 1950s through the mid- to late 1960s, and those were on major labels; he later released an even greater catalogue of albums on his own label, Outstanding Records, from the late 1970s through the early 21st century. That's a lot of recorded music for a jazz pianist most people aren't even aware of.

The biggest disappointment, however, was the utter absence of anything remotely resembling a discography.

The little information available online (prior to this document) was woefully incomplete and frequently inaccurate, with respect to release dates, sidemen and other significant details. Arguably the worst offender is Smith's listing at allmusic.com, which doesn't distinguish between Paul Smith the jazz pianist, Paul Smith the (much younger) banjo player, and Paul Smith the (also much younger) contemporary Christian musician. Albums from all three are listed together, as if they're one single individual. The allmusic.com list also attributes two supposed albums to our" Paul Smith that I'm pretty sure don't exist.

Not willing to tolerate this sad state of affairs, I decided to honor jazz pianist Paul Smith with the Web's first and (I guess) only official discography.

A few notes:

The information here is accurate, to my knowledge; it's based on my ownership of Smith's albums, and reliable sources such as Billboard magazine and extensive label production archives. Other Internet sources" have been ignored. I've limited the following list to Smith's output as solo pianist or leader of his own combo. Documenting his work as a sideman remains a work in progress, and it'll take time; I own most of the albums on the following list, whereas I own very little of his output as a sideman... and he worked with a lot of folks, whether in jazz combos fronted by other leaders, or as accompanist to top-flight vocalists.

Finally, while I believe this list is complete, I was surprised several times—while compiling it—to follow vague clues that led to the discovery of yet another album. I'll therefore cheerfully accept any additional information, should Paul Smith fans Out There wish to participate. A few of the following albums aren't yet in my library, and I therefore don't have the necessary sidemen information; I also could use images for two of the three Outstanding albums that were issued solely on audiocassette. By all means, contact me with any data that can be added. The goal is to make this the Paul Smith album database, and to that end I wish it to be as accurate as possible.

Onward!

Paul Smith Quartet" Discovery Records DL 3009 (10-inch EP disc) No CD re-issue Recorded on April 18, 1950; released in January 1951

Song list: By the Fireside" Cupid Took Me for a Ride" The Great Lie" Out of Nowhere" Over the Rainbow" 'S Wonderful" Wandering" The Way You Look Tonight"

These eight songs also were released as a series of four singles:Discovery 45-136: Out of Nowhere" b/w The Way You Look Tonight" Discovery 45-137: 'S Wonderful" b/w The Great Lie" Discovery 45-138: Wandering" b/w Over the Rainbow" Discovery 45-139: By the Fireside" b/w Cupid Took Me for a Ride"

All eight songs were re-released in 1956, on Savoy's By the Fireside (see below).

Paul Smith Trio" Discovery Records DL 3017 (10-inch EP disc) No CD re-issue Recorded in March 1952*; released in 1952

This LP — pressed on both black and colored vinyl — repeats the contents of the 1954 Skylark EP. The VSOP CD includes alternate takes of All for You" and Fine, Sweet and Tasty," also part of the original 1953 recording session.

This 10-inch LP also was released as a pair of 45 RPM EPs:EAP-1-493, with The Blue Room," Low Bridge," My Heart Stood Still" and Thou Swell" (image shown above) EAP-2-493, with Hookup," The Lady Is a Tramp," Mountain Greenery" an Spring Is Here"The EMI Japan CD re-issue also includes four more tracks: Blue Moon," Gary-Boo," This Can't Be Love" and What Is This Thing Called Love?"

Cascades" Capitol Records T665 Re-issued on CD on September 27, 2011 (EMI Japan) Recorded in December 1954; released in 1955

Song list: By the Fireside" Cupid Took Me for a Ride" The Great Lie" I Only Have Eyes for You" The Jumper" Lauriloo" Out of Nowhere" Over the Rainbow" Pick Yourself Up" 'S Wonderful" Wandering" The Way You Look Tonight"

This Savoy album gathered all eight of the songs from 1951's Paul Smith Quartet, and added four tracks from 1952's Paul Smith Trio: I Only Have Eyes for You," The Jumper," Laurilou" and Pick Yourself Up."

Cool and Sparkling" Capitol T757 Re-issued on CD on January 30, 2003 (EMI Japan TOCJ-9473) Recorded in May and June 1956; Released in November 1956

His and Hers"Capitol ST/T 1356No CD re-issue (although it is available on iTunes)Recorded on June 9, 22 and 29, 1959; released in 1960

Personnel: Paul Smith and Annette Warren — two pianos

Song list: All the Things You Are" Blues for Theda" Carioca" Charlie's Song" CumanÃ¡" I Want to Stay Here" I've Got You Under My Skin" Jewelry Box" Lover" My Funny Valentine" Pick Yourself Up" Wait Till You See Her"This is the first of several albums that Smith recorded with his wife of 54 years, pianist/singer Annette Warren.

The Sound of Music" Verve MGV-2128 (M) and MGVS-6128 (S) Re-issued on CD on June 17, 1998 (Polydor Japan POCJ-2585); also available via iTunes Recorded on January 8, 1960; released in April 1960

Song list: The Desert Song" For All We Know" I Could Write a Book" Malaguena" My Reverie" My Romance" Palos Verdes" Promises" Saturday Night" The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" When I Fall in Love" You Stepped Out of a Dream"

It would seem that Verve decided to terminate its relationship with Smith at about this time. Although the tracks on this LP (and the next one) were recorded for Verve, that label chose not to issue the material; the music subsequently was picked up and released by MGM.

Memories of Paris"MGM E-4057 (M) and SE-4057 (S)No CD re-issueRecorded October 3-4, 1961; released in August 1963

Personnel: Paul Smith — piano [Remaining personnel unknown]

Song list: Angel Eyes" Ballad for Woody" Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" I Love Paris" It Might As Well Be Spring" It's Only a Paper Moon" Love for Sale" Lover Come Back to Me" Night and Day" On the Street Where You Live"

As with the previous album, the tracks were recorded for Verve, but that label chose not to issue the material; the music subsequently was picked up and released on this MGM album.

He Sells Jazz by the Sea Shore"Warner Bros. 1596Re-issued on CD on July 2, 2013 (WEA Japan WPCR-27329)Recorded live at The Hunting Horn, in Palos Verdes, California; released in May 1965

At this point, Smith apparently gave up on major labels. Two years later, in 1968, his good friend and colleague Earl Beecher founded Outstanding Records, an indie label based in Huntington Beach, California, with a mission to preserve and make available to the public the music of world-class pianist Paul Smith." This noble sentiment notwithstanding, nothing happened for nearly a decade (!). In 1977, Outstanding finally began to issue the first albums in what grew to become a fairly impressive Paul Smith catalogue. But distribution was spotty at best, and would only get worse with time. The LPs were reasonably easy to find in Southern California, and somewhat difficult everywhere else; as a result, they remain prized by jazz fans.

Billboard magazine tracked Smith's early recordings on Outstanding, which is how this discography is able to specify some release dates. But even that music industry Bible stopped paying attention after the initial wave of albums, which is why specifying later release dates is next to impossible.

The situation grew even worse when Beecher embraced digital technology and re-released the initial LPs on CD, and issued subsequent releases solely on CD; the label had no media exposure whatsoever as the century turned, and the discs became even harder to find than the LPs had been. Ordering direct via Outstanding (by phone or mail) was pretty much the sole option. [The company ceased to exist at the end of the 21st century's first decade.]

The aforementioned CD re-issues of Smith's Outstanding LPs provided their own headaches, as well; details are supplied below, as we come to them.

As an additional insult, Beecher could be, ah, casual when it came to citing sidemen on Smith's albums.

Smith didn't record exclusively on Outstanding, moving forward from 1977; as you'll see, he also worked with a few other indie labels.

The Master Touch"Outstanding 002Re-issued on CD in 2000, on Outstanding OCD 102 and OCD 112Released in January 1977

Song list: All the Things You Are" Alone Together" Around the World in 80 Days" Black Orpheus (A Day in the Life of a Fool)" The Fourth Way" Get Me to the Church on Time" Here's That Rainy Day" I Could Have Danced All Night" Lullabye of the Leaves" On Green Dolphin Street" Waltz of the Mime" When the World Was Young"

Song list: Body and Soul" Brian's Song" Evergreen" I Write the Songs" Marguerite" Misty" My Funny Valentine" Nadia's Theme" There Will Never Be Another You"* One track, Body and Soul," is not included on the digital re-issue; this recording exists solely in its analog format.

Song list: Baubles, Bangles and Beads" Blue Skies" Humoresque" I Only Have Eyes for You" Nice Work if You Can Get It" Over the Rainbow" Poor Butterfly" Tangerine" Yesterdays" You and the Night and the Music"* One track, Over the Rainbow," is not included on the digital re-issue; this recording exists solely in its analog format.

Song list: Deep Purple" Fly Me to the Moon" I Cover the Waterfront" I Get a Kick Out of You" Let's Fall in Love" My Shining Hour" Someone to Watch Over Me" The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" Sweet Lorraine" Tea for Two"* One track, I Get a Kick Out of You," is not included on the digital re-issue; this recording exists solely in its analog format.

Heavy Jazz"Outstanding 009Re-issued on CD in 2000 and 2002 (Outstanding OCD 109 and 152)*Released in October 1977

Personnel: Paul Smith — piano Ray Brown — bass Louie Bellson — drums

Song list: A Foggy Day" I Got Rhythm" Lover" Pick Yourself Up" 'S Wonderful" What Is This Thing Called Love?" You Are Too Beautiful"* One track, Pick Yourself Up," is not included on any digital re-issue; this recording exists solely in its analog format.

Heavy Jazz, Volume 2"Outstanding 011Re-issued on CD in 2000, as part of Cool Jazz (Outstanding OCD 109)Released in December 1977

Song list: Ain't Misbehavin'" Bluesette" I Won't Last a Day Without You" Like Young" A Time for Love" Willow Weep for Me"Paul Smith's fans were encouraged, by hints on the back of early Outstanding LP jackets, to watch for The Rhythm Touch (Outstanding 013), The Liquid Touch (Outstanding 014) and Boogie & Blues (Outstanding 018), but these albums never appeared.

Song list: Chicago" Everything Happens to Me" The Lady is a Tramp" Lover" On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever" The Surrey with a Fringe on Top" Yesterdays"

This was heralded as the first audiophile release from Discwasher Recordings," which promised a limited-edition, direct-disc experience: Top-flight jazz musicians and state-of-the-art recording techniques take Intensive Care with new arrangements of time-proven songs." The LP was re-released by Italy's Pausa Records in 1984, and then on CD by Voss three years later, with a distinctly different cover (shown at left).

The Alpha Touch"Outstanding 008Re-issued in part on CD in 2000, as part of The Ballad Touch (digital)*Released in May 1979

Personnel: Paul Smith — solo piano

Song list: An Affair to Remember" Everything Happens to me" Feelings" I'm Old-Fashioned" Invitation" It Never Entered My Mind" The Shadow of Your Smile" Spring Is Here" The Way We Were"* Three tracks — An Affair to Remember," The Shadow of Your Smile" and The Way We Were" — are not included on any digital re-issue; they exist solely on this analog recording.

Jazz Spotlight Volume 1: Porter and Gershwin"Outstanding 023Re-issued in part on CD, in 1995 and 2002 (Outstanding OCD 101 and 152)*Released in September 1979 (?)

Song list: Gershwin Medley: Bess, You Is My Woman," I Loves You Porgy" and Summertime" I've Got You Under My Skin" Love Walked In" The Man I Love" Night and Day" What Is This (Funky) Thing Called Love?"* Two tracks — Night and Day" and What Is This (Funky) Thing Called Love?" — are not included on any digital re-issue; they exist solely on this analog recording.

Jazz Spotlight Volume 2: Ellington and Rodgers"Outstanding 024Re-issued in part on CD, in 1995 and 2002 (Outstanding OCD 101 and 154)*Released in September 1979 (?)

Song list: C Jam Blues" Don't Get Around Much Any More" Falling in Love with Love" Have You Met Miss Jones?" I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" Mountain Greenery" Thou Swell"* Two tracks — Don't Get Around Much Any More" and I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" — are not included on any digital re-issue; they exist solely on this analog recording.

The Good Life"Discwasher DR 004 DRe-issued on CD in 1988 (Voss D2-72937)Released in November 1979

Song list: Again I Think of You" Alice" Last Night Was a Bad Night" Rio Tonight" Samba de Cha Cha" Samba de Oro" Snow" Sunday in Town" Tribute to Bill Evans" Whoop-Te-Do Waltz" Winter Theme" You Are Forever Young"This was the final Paul Smith album released on LP.

A Letter from L.A."California Breeze (Japan) PCB-8No LP releaseRecorded on October 10-11, 1989; released in 1989

Song list: All of Me" Always" Body and Soul" Fools Rush In" Georgia on My Mind" Green Dolphin Street" Have You Met Ms. Jones?" How High the Moon" Let's Get Away from It All" One Note Samba" Pennies from Heaven" San Francisco"This was Smith's first album released directly on CD; no surprise that this honor came from Japan, where he has been quite popular for the past few decades, and where several labels have been re-issuing his back catalog on CD.

Having abandoned the vinyl format, but apparently not yet willing to embrace digital, Beecher and Outstanding released Smith's next three albums solely on audiocassette (!) ... a medium that, if anything, was regarded even less favorably than vinyl during the waning years of the 20th century. These three albums are extremely difficult to find in their original tape format; fortunately, their contents later were (mostly) re-issued on CD.

Song list: All I Ask of You" Angel of Music" Ding, Dong the Witch Is Dead" If I Only Had a Brain" Merry Old Land of Oz" The Music of the Night" Off to See the Wizard" Over the Rainbow" The Phantom of the Opera" Point of No Return" Prima Donna" Think of Me"

Song list: Beecher Boogie" Give Me the Simple Life" How Long Has This Been Going On?" Huntington Beach" I Remember You" Little Girl Blue" Moon Ray" Slow Blues" You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To"* Two tracks — Moon Ray" and You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" — are not included on any digital re-issue; they exist solely on this analog recording.

After (thankfully!) abandoning the audiocassette format, Beecher and Outstanding finally embraced the digital revolution in 1994 ... albeit cautiously. The first two Paul Smith CDs drew from the back catalog and were designed to whet appetites for what was to come.

Song list: Autumn Leaves" Baubles, Bangles and Beads" Beecher Boogie" C Jam Blues" Cherokee" Get Me to the Church on Time" I'll Remember April" I've Got You Under My Skin" Like Young" Malaguena" The Music of the Night" My Funny Valentine" 'S Wonderful" The Shadow of Your Smile" Swanee River" Tea for Two"Like the previous disc, this best of" collection features one track from each of Paul Smith's first 16 albums on the Outstanding label: the 13 LPs and three audiocasettes.

After Dark: Romantic Piano"Fine Tune 1133-2Released in 1999

Personnel: Paul Smith — solo piano

Song list: Chicago" The Good Life" Here's That Rainy Day" I Hadn't Anyone 'Til You" The Lady Is a Tramp" Lover" My Heart Stood Still" On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever" Perdido" Send in the Clowns" Someday My Prince Will Come" What I Did for Love" Yesterdays"

Apparently satisfied with the results of his two sampler discs, Beecher jumped into digital waters with a vengeance. His production output became ambitious, alternating discs of new material with re-releases of Smith's existing catalog on Outstanding Records.

Unfortunately, Beecher approached the latter process rather uniquely.

Rather than faithfully reproducing album contents as they had appeared on the original LPs (and tapes), Beecher often mixed and matched songs according to style, composer, presentation (solo, duo, trio) and other criteria. The results are a discographer's nightmare. As just one example, the next disc released — The Master Touch — doesn't simply reproduce the LP of the same name; indeed, the CD doesn't even include all 12 songs from that album. Instead, the disc's 14 tracks draw from two sources.

Some LP songs pop up on several CDs; other analog tracks aren't re-released at all. The contents of the Introspective audiotape are scattered among four (!) discs, and two tracks still got left behind. Similarly, although the Art Tatum Touch CD logically includes most of the contents of the two corresponding LPs, two songs are left out.

In a few cases, songs recorded in 2001, on CDs of new material, appear again in 2002 collections of mostly repeat analog material!

Perhaps worse, little production care was taken with these digital transfers. Many of the earlier Outstanding LPs had promoted their direct to disc" origins, and one suspects that Beecher neglected to make master tapes at the same time. Whatever the reason, many (most? all?) of these digital compilations clearly are made by simply recording an LP being played; in some cases, you can hear the needle drop, the gentle whisking sound of the lead-in groove, and the little pops and scratches that betray the vinyl origins. This isn't an issue with the discs of new material, but it can be a bit distracting when listening to the compilations.

Finally, absolutely no effort was taken with the CD jackets," which are flimsy, single-sheet paper photocopies that sometimes fail to identify sidemen. In numerous cases, the disc copyright dates don't match the copyright dates printed on the paper data. (I've taken the disc dates to be correct; they seem more accurate.)

The upside, happily, was a virtual tsunami of fresh material; Outstanding's final years featured a massive quantity of new Paul Smith recordings ... and, for that, we can be grateful.

Song list: Falling in Love with Love" Hello, Young Lovers" I Could Have Danced All Night" I've Got Rhythm" I've Got You Under My Skin" My Favorite Things" On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever" Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" Where or When"This is Smith's final album for a label other than his own. You'll note that he selected many of the same songs that had become ubiquitous on his various Outstanding albums, but these are fresh takes; it's the only time he recorded an album (as leader) with Joe La Barbera.

Song list: All the Things You Are" (from The Master Touch, Outstanding 002) Around the World in 80 Days" (from The Master Touch, Outstanding 002) Autumn Leaves" (from This One Cooks, Outstanding 012) Cumana" (from This One Cooks, Outstanding 012) How High the Moon" (from This One Cooks, Outstanding 012) It's Only a Paper Moon" (from This One Cooks, Outstanding 012) Laura" (from This One Cooks, Outstanding 012) Lover Come Back to Me" (from This One Cooks, Outstanding 012) Meditation" (from This One Cooks, Outstanding 012) Soon" (from This One Cooks, Outstanding 012) Waltz of the Mime" (from The Master Touch, Outstanding 002)

The Touch of Elegance"Outstanding OCD 119Released in 2000

Personnel: Paul Smith — solo piano

Song list: Alfie" Angel Eyes" Bye Bye Blackbird" I Wish You Love" It Might As Well Be Spring" Long Ago and Far Away" Lullabye of Birdland" Satin Doll" A Ship Without a Sail" Stella by Starlight" Sweet Lorraine" When Sunny Gets Blue" You Took Advantage of Me"This is an album of new material.

Song list: A Foggy Day" Here Comes Ralph and Dick" How About Me" How Do We Keep the Music Playing?" It Could Happen to You" Like Someone in Love" No One But Me" Non-Stop Fingers" Shades of O.P." Skylark" Somebody Loves Me" The Summer Knows" That's Entertainment" Who Can I Turn To?"This is an album of new material.

Here I Am Again"Outstanding OCD 108Released in 2001

Personnel: Paul Smith — solo piano

Song list: But Beautiful" Can't Help Lovin' That Man" Easter Parade" Embraceable You" Makin' Whoopee" Moonlight in Vermont" Once in Awhile" Out of Nowhere" September in the Rain" Stars Fell on Alabama" Strike Up the Band" Without a Song" Zing Went the Strings of My Heart"This is an album of new material.

Mr. Smith and I"Outstanding OCD 116Released in 2001

Personnel: Paul Smith — piano Mary Hicks — vocals

Song list: All Right, Okay, You Win" Bewitched" Exactly Like You" Have You Met 'Mr. Smith'" How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" I Hadn't Anyone Till You" It Had to Be You" Just in Time" Love Walked In" The Man I Love" The Nearness of You" The Song Is You" That Old Black Magic" That Old Black Magic" (reprise) Time After Time"

The Girl I Love"Outstanding OCD 133Released in 2001

Personnel: Paul Smith — piano Ron Brown — vocals

Song list: Body and Soul" East of the Sun" For Sentimental Reasons" The Girl I Love" It Had to Be You" Mam'selle" More" The More I See You" More Than You Know" Night and Day" On a Slow Boat to China" Penthouse Serenade" Serenade in Blue" Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" Unforgettable" Where or When"

The Phantom of the Opera Meets the Wizard of Oz" (digital)Outstanding OCD 150Released in 2001

Song list: All I Ask of You" Angel of Music" Ding, Dong, the Witch Is Dead" If I Only Had a Brain" Merry Old Land of Oz" The Music of the Night" Off to See the Wizard" Over the Rainbow" The Phantom of the Opera" The Point of No Return" Prima Donna" Think of Me"Unlike all other digital re-releases, this disc precisely duplicates the contents of its analog predecessor.

Song list: All the Things You Are" Embraceable You" Fly Me to the Moon" Hello, Young Lovers" How High the Moon" Isn't It Romantic?" Pennies from Heaven" Pick Yourself Up" Time After Time" The Very Thought of You" What's New?" Younger Than Springtime"

Song list: The Boy from Ipanema" I'll See You in My Dreams" Lazy Afternoon" One More Time" Phantom of the Opera Medley" Something Cool" The Storybook Ball" Tea for Two" These Foolish Things" The Way He Makes Me Feel" When I Lost You" You and Me Against the World" You Make Me Feel So Young" You've Got Me"

When the World Was Young" Outstanding OCD 188 Released in 2004

Personnel: Paul Smith — piano With orchestral accompaniment

Song list: All the Things You Are" Around the World in 80 Days" Bummy Bum" Get Me to the Church on Time" Lovers' Lullabye" Madame Butterfly" On Green Dolphin Street" Sandy's Samba" Spring Is Here" Waltz of the Mime" When the World Was Young" You Know"Smith's final release on Outstanding — indeed, likely his final recording anywhere — is an album of new material, albeit with a twist. The 12 tracks include several tunes for which he is well known, mixed with some fresh songs. In all cases, Smith and his piano are accompanied by a full orchestral ensemble (musicians not identified).

I grew up listening to my father's jazz records and listening to the radio. My dad was a musician for many years as a vocalist, bassist and drummer. His two uncles played in the Symphony of Reggio Calabria back in Italy

I grew up listening to my father's jazz records and listening to the radio. My dad was a musician for many years as a vocalist, bassist and drummer. His two uncles played in the Symphony of Reggio Calabria back in Italy. So music and jazz specifically have been a part of me since I was born. I love and perform in all styles of music from around the world. Improvisation in jazz is what drew me in, and still does as well as other genres that feature improvisation. A group of great musicians expressing themselves as one is the hallmark of great jazz and in fact all great music.